The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue
Folio 202r
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The trmentour / but for no maner chaunce
He mygħt nat smyte / al hire nekke a two
And for þere was that tyme / an ordinaunce
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That noman / shulde do man / swicħ penaunce
The ferthe strok to smyten / softe or soore
This turmentour / ne durste do nomore
¶ But half ded / wt hire nekke I koruen there
He lefte hire lye / and on his wey is went
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The cistene folk / whicħ þt a boute hire were
Witħ shetes / han the blod / ful faire I hent
Three dayes lyued she / in this turment
And neu
ere cessed
/ hem the feit
ħ to
precheteche
precheteche
That she had fostred / hē / she gan to preche
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And hē she ȝaf / hire meebles & hire thyng
And to the Pope vrban / bytok hem tho
And seide / I axed this of heuene kyng
To haue respit / three dayes and no moo
To recomende to ȝow / er that I go
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Theise soules lo / and that I mygħt do werche
Heere of myn hous / perpetuelly a chirche
¶ Seynt vrban / witħ hise dekenes priuely
The body fette / and buryed it by nygħte
A mong hise othere Seyntes / honestly
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Hire hous / the Chirche of Seynt Cecile higħte
Seynt vrban halwed it / as he wel mygħte
In whicħ / in to this day / in noble wyse
Men don to Crist / and to his seynt seruyse
Heere endetħ the Secund Nōnes tale ;
& bigȳnetħ the
Prologe of the Chanouns ȝeman ;
Whan that told was / the lyf of Seynt Cecile
Er we had riden fully / fyue myle
At Bougħton vnder blee / vs gan a take
A man / þt clothed was / in clothes blake
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And vndernethe he wered / a Surplys
His hakeney / whicħ þt was / al pomely grys
So swat / that it wonder was to se
It semed / as he had pryked myles three
Aboute the peyntrel / stod the fome ful hye
He was of fome / al flekked as a Pye